As early voting kicks off, Lake County vote-by-mail already surpasses total from last consolidated election

Largely because of the ongoing pandemic, a record number of Lake County voters opted last fall to submit their choice for U.S. president and other offices by mail. And that trend is continuing for the April 6 consolidated election.

With weeks to go, 10,261 people have requested a vote-by-mail ballot from the county clerk's office, officials said Friday. In April 2019, 7,520 voters were issued mail-in ballots.

Lake County Clerk Robin O'Connor said she is excited that the number has increased. She said she is interested to see if it indicates more people are interested in voting in local elections overall or whether turnout will be around the same but with a higher percentage taking advantage of vote-by-mail because of the pandemic.

Either way, O'Connor said, "I believe people are educated about the security and the safety of their vote."

O'Connor encouraged people who had questions about voting to call her office at 847-377-VOTE (8683).

Friday marked the beginning of early voting. Currently the only polling place is the lobby of the Lake County Building in downtown Waukegan. Early voting will expand to 15 more locations throughout the county beginning March 22.

In-person voting locations will adhere to the same safety precautions taken in November to discourage the spread of COVID-19.

Unlike last time, the Lake County fairgrounds will not be available as a polling place because it is being used for COVID-19 vaccinations.